It surprised me that modern diesel/electric azimuth drive cruise ships handle rather like an over sized narrowboat, ie the most stable point was at the stern and NOT near the centre, like old ships. The bow was crashing around quite a bit, which made if "interesting" -- Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest - Shannon Reg 7410
My guess is that this is because the bows have an excessive flare - WW2 aircraft carriers used to suffer from slamming under the bow flare. I don't know if cruise ships have so much flare because it is thought to look nicer or to balance the excessive superstructure. Slamming can also occur because the hull is shallow-drafted and I guess this may be the explanation for modern narrowboats. Sean
